Bosnia Failing to Protect Asylum Seekers
Human Rights Watch | Human Rights Watch News | 2018-04-24
Asylum seekers and other migrants gather in a park in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo, where volunteers provide them with food, blankets, and medical care. | © Emina Cerimovic/Human Rights Watch | When you think of refugees in connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina, you may think of people displaced by fighting in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. But today the country is facing a different kind of refugee crisis as it strains to safeguard the rights of a growing number of people from other regions who are seeking protection. | According to the UNHCR, 1,138 asylum seekers and migrants arrived to Bosnia between January 1 and March 3, more than the total for 2017. Most of them are from Syria, followed by Pakistan, Libya, and Afghanistan. Some are fleeing conflict…
www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/24/bosnia-failing-protect-asylum-seekers
Canary in the Coal Pond
Truthout Stories | 2018-04-23
New reports provide an unprecedented look at contaminants leaking from coal ash ponds and landfills. But the chasm between information and environmental protection may deepen thanks to a proposed Trump administration rollback that would weaken requirements for polluting power plants.Coal ash slurry pours into the first of two settling ponds adjacent to the Riverbend Steam Station on Mountain Island Lake in Gaston County, North Carolina, January 23, 2008. (Photo: Jeff Willhelm / Charlotte Observer / MCT via Getty Images) | In tests conducted in late 2017, one in three coal-fired power plants nationwide detected "statistically significant" amounts of contaminants, including harmful chemicals like arsenic, in the groundwater around their facilities. | This information, which utility companies had to post on their websites in March, became public for the first time under an Obama-era environmental rule regulating coal ash, the waste generated from burning…
www.truth-out.org/news/item/44248-canary-in-the-coal-pond
Reporter Suri Crowe Told the Truth About Climate Change — so Right-Wing Sinclair Broadcasting Showed Her the Door
Mark Sumner, Daily Kos | AlterNet.org | 2018-04-23
Climate change wasn't the only reporting done by Crowe were she ruffled the feathers at Sinclair. | Buzzfeed has the story of Suri Crowe, a Virginia reporter who dared to tell the truth about the human cause behind climate change. After her report aired, Crowe was criticized by management and ordered to "balance" her reporting. In one 2015 instance, the former news director of WSET-TV in Lynchburg, Virginia, Len Stevens, criticized reporter Suri Crowe because she "clearly laid out the argument that human activities cause global warming, but had nothing from the side that questions the science behind such claims and points to more natural causes for such warming. "The truth is that the groups questioning the science behind such claims have no science to back them up. What they have is a network of "institutes" that consist of nothing but publicity. . .
feeds.feedblitz.com/~/541116964/0/alternet
Earth Day: Conflict over the Future of the Planet
Kevin Zeese | Global Research | 2018-04-23
Featured image: Photograph from climate march in Washington, DC, Union of Concerned Scientists. | On this Earth Day, it is difficult to look at the state of the planet and the current political leadership and see much hope. In " Junk …
globalresearch.ca/earth-day-conflict-over-the-future-of-the-planet/5637345
Conflict Over the Future of the Planet
Kevin Zeese, Margaret Flowers | counterpunch.org | 2018-04-23
On this Earth Day, it is difficult to look at the state of the planet and the current political leadership and see much hope. In "Junk Planet", Robert Burrowes writes a comprehensive description of the degradation of the atmosphere, oceans, waterways, groundwater, and soil as well as the modern pollution of antibiotic waste, genetic engineering, nanowaste, space…
counterpunch.org/2018/04/23/conflict-over-the-future-of-the-planet/
Economic Update: Struggling Against the System
TRNN | The Real News Network | 2018-04-23
This week's topics include: Updates on teachers' strikes; capitalism abuses facebook; colleges reward privilege and reproduce it; Shell Oil knew about fossil fuels and global warming for last 50 years; UK housing size shrinks; Sinclair Broadcasting traps employees…
therealnews.com/idirect.php?i=21644
A History Professor Explains Why Trump's Presidency Appears to Be Reaching Its End
Ronald L. Feinman, History News Network | AlterNet.org | 2018-04-23
The president's administration is in worse shape than even critics expected. | The scandals surrounding President Donald Trump are metastasizing rapidly, much more than anyone would have thought just a few months ago. The investigation by Robert Mueller, now 11 months in duration, has been accumulating evidence of possible Russian collusion, obstruction of justice, abuse of power, violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, and the corruption surrounding many members of the Trump circle, including his own children and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. But then the Stormy Daniels scandal, and other related shameful episodes involving other women became part of the equation, and the business dealings of Donald Trump in New York State were added to the complicated situation. And now, the seizure of materials and records of Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen raises the ante on the troubles and turmoil surrounding Donald. . .
feeds.feedblitz.com/~/541149528/0/alternet
Progressive U.S. Senate Candidates Are in Short Supply in the Midterm Elections
Valerie Vande Panne, Independent Media Institute | AlterNet.org | 2018-04-23
It wasn't easy, but we found three promising candidates to pay attention to during the primaries. | I had an idea for an article earlier this week: I would look at some of the candidates challenging incumbents for U. S. Senate, who are peace-loving progressives who would work to end America's incessant wars at home and abroad. Then I started researching the story. And I discovered even Our Revolution hasn't endorsed a single candidate for U. S. Senate. Sure, there are races to watch. Politico and USA Today have conventional, slightly outdated, lightweight guides, if you care to read them. But what seems to be boiling down in all of those races (and what mainstream media seems to be missing) is that the Democratic incumbents have failed at this season's catch phrase, "resist," and the challengers to Republican and Democratic incumbents alike seem. . .
feeds.feedblitz.com/~/541202754/0/alternet
Macron in Washington DC to walk the line between criticism and adulation with Trump
RT | RT US News | 2018-04-23
As Emmanuel Macron arrives in Washington, the French President is expected to face pressure to tackle Trump on Iran, trade, and climate change, all while continuing to strengthen his cosy relationship with the US president. …
www.rt.com/usa/424917-macron-us-visit-trump/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
Demanding Renewables Not Pipelines, Environmentalists Are Heading to Albany
Truthout Stories | 2018-04-22
Independent journalism provides a vital alternative to the mainstream news, but it can't exist without your help. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation! | That's it, we're storming the castle. On April 23, thousands of New Yorkers are showing up at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's front door in Albany to demand genuine action on climate change. We're not going to bus up just to go "rah-rah-rah" on the steps of the statehouse for the press and going home. We have three specific demands: halt of all fracking infrastructure now, a just transition to 100 percent renewables, and make corporate polluters pay into a transition fund. | We will meet in Albany at noon, at the site of a proposed fracked-gas plant slated to power Empire State Plaza and hear from local residents on Sheridan Avenue. Then we will march to the…
www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/44246-demanding-renewables-not-pipelines-environmentalists-are-heading-to-albany
On Earth Day: Environmental Activism is Spreading
Consortiumnews.com | 2018-04-22
Across America environmental activism is growing, and government and the fossil fuel industry are taking notice, say Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers Tree-sits are growing in West Virginia where people are putting their bodies on the… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/04/22/on-earth-day-environmenal-activism-is-spreading/
Puerto Rico's Slow-Going Recovery Means New Hardship for Dialysis Patients
Truthout Stories | 2018-04-22
If you believe in the importance of a free and independent press, take a moment to support Truthout's news and analysis by making a donation now! | Vieques, Puerto Rico — As the cry of a rooster heralded the dawn, Joe Garcia, 41, pulled a vial of insulin from the fridge. He filled a syringe and wrapped it in aluminum foil in preparation for the long day ahead. | "I tell him that from here to there, that'll spoil," said his mother, Martina Collazo de Jesus, 63, watching the preparations under the fluorescent bulb lighting the family kitchen. | It is a gamble Garcia, who has both diabetes and kidney failure, has taken since Hurricane Maria slammed this Puerto Rican island just east of the main island. More than six months after the storm, Garcia and 13 other Vieques residents must still…
www.truth-out.org/news/item/44245-puerto-rico-s-slow-going-recovery-means-new-hardship-for-dialysis-patients
Protecting Environmental Defenders This Earth Day
Human Rights Watch | Human Rights Watch News | 2018-04-22
Indigenous people arrive in Quito after marching for 10 days to protest new mining and water law initiatives, as well as a constitutional reform project that would have allowed for indefinite re-election of the president. August 12, 2015. | © 2015 José Jácome/EFE | Last month, Latin America and Caribbean countries adopted a landmark regional agreement on environmental rights — the first to offer specific protections for people who stand up in defense of their right to a healthy environment. | On Earth Day, the effort is a good reminder of the dangers and challenges that still face environmental defenders around the region. |
www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/22/protecting-environmental-defenders-earth-day
Going Native: To Move Forward, Indians Must Reclaim Values of the Past
Mark Anthony Rolo | The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good | 2018-04-21
Prior to colonization, American Indians had their own values of tolerance and acceptance. Forgetting those values not only threatens our tradition, but our right to tribal sovereignty.
progressive.org/dispatches/going-native-reclaiming-tribal-values-of-our-past-180420/
US bank offers free identity protection… while admitting potential data breach of 1.5mn clients
RT | RT US News | 2018-04-21
While announcing details of free identity protection for clients, a US bank revealed that data belonging to up to 1.5 million customers may have been exposed and passed on to a criminal third party. …
www.rt.com/usa/424766-bank-data-breach-suntrust/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
Threat assessment: NASA's asteroid hunter reveals scariest, Earth-bound objects (VIDEO)
RT | RT US News | 2018-04-21
Hundreds of cosmic objects swarming unnervingly close to Earth come to life in an intimidating new NASA visualization, based on the latest data from its asteroid-hunting mission. …
www.rt.com/usa/424782-threat-nasa-asteroid-hunter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
Media Support US Violence Against Syria, but Long for More
Gregory Shupak | FAIR | 2018-04-20
And by "reckoning," the Atlantic ( 4/14/18) appeared to mean "a war with Russia and its allies." | Corporate media outlets were glad that the US, France and Britain bombed Syria in violation of international law (FAIR.org, 4/18/18), but lamented what they see as a dearth of US violence in the country. | In The Atlantic ( 4/14/18), Thanassis Cambanis described the war crime as "undoubtedly a good thing," and called for "sustained attention and investment, of diplomatic, economic and military resources"–though the latter rubbed up against his assessment in the same paragraph that "a major regional war will only make things worse." Moreover, he described "the most realistic possibility" for the US and its partners in Syria as "an incomplete and possibly destabilizing policy of confrontation [and] containment. But a reckoning can't be deferred forever." | This…
fair.org/home/media-support-us-violence-against-syria-but-long-for-more/
Earth Day 2018
Norman Stockwell | The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good | 2018-04-20
This is what April 22 is all about. Treasures from our archives including Denis Hayes, Barry Commoner, Ralph Nader, and Gaylord Nelson.
progressive.org/dispatches/earth-day-treasures-2018/
Earth Day 2018: Ending Plastic Pollution in the Oceans, Land & Our Bodies
Democracy Now! | 2018-04-20
This Sunday more than a billion people will celebrate Earth Day. This year's theme: ending plastic pollution by Earth Day 2020. Of the nearly 300 million tons of plastic sold each year, about 90 percent ends up in landfills, in the oceans–and in our bodies. Part of the focus will be microplastics, those small bits of plastic that are seemingly everywhere. We speak to Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Institute, who has led 20 expeditions around the world to research plastic marine pollution, and Priscilla Villa of the #BreakFreeFromPlastics movement.
www.democracynow.org/2018/4/20/earth_day_2018_ending_plastic_pollution
Republicans Have Found a Nuclear Option to Kill Regulations
Gary Rivlin | The Intercept | 2018-04-20
Mick Mulvaney, since November the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, could have killed an Obama-era directive cracking down on discriminatory lending on auto sales with a snap of his fingers. In 2013, the new bureau put auto dealers and the finance companies they work with on notice: We have found evidence that auto loans are often marked up for Latino and African-American customers, and will be monitoring your compliance with fair lending laws. Study after study had shown that people of color typically pay higher fees and higher interest rates on car loans than whites with similar credit profiles. The CFPB didn't wait to create a formal rule, instead issuing a "guidance" bulletin. Mulvaney could have undone that guidance simply by writing his own. But that wasn't enough for Mulvaney, who, as a member of Congress, had sponsored a bill…
theintercept.com/2018/04/20/republicans-have-found-a-nuclear-option-to-kill-regulations/
#FreeSiwatu: Pregnant Black Detroit Activist Jailed for Standing Her Ground & Protecting Her Family
Democracy Now! | 2018-04-18
An environmental activist and young black mother in Detroit may be forced to give birth behind bars, after standing her ground during a frightening encounter. Since she was 15 years old, Siwatu-Salama Ra has fought for environmental justice. She campaigned against the Marathon oil refinery and the Detroit Renewable Power trash incinerator. She represented Detroit at the Paris climate summit. She's also worked to engage kids and educate young mothers about nutrition. Now, at age 26, Siwatu has been sentenced to a mandatory two years in prison, following an incident in which she brandished her unloaded–and legally registered–handgun while defending her mother and 2-year-old daughter. She was sentenced last month to two years in prison even though she is scheduled to give birth in June. We speak to two of her attorneys and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.
www.democracynow.org/2018/4/18/freesiwatu_pregnant_black_detroit_activist_jailed
Animals Deserve Protection From Abuse
Christopher Dale | The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good | 2018-04-16
In protecting animals, we also protect ourselves.
progressive.org/op-eds/animals-deserve-protection-from-abuse-180416/
A Standing Rock on the Border?
Tim Vanderpool | The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good | 2018-04-06
A desert tribe, tormented by border patrol, pushes back against Trump's wall.
progressive.org/dispatches/a-standing-rock-on-the-border-wall-180406/